Skyrim stands as one of the most popular video games in recent history. Nearly 10 years have passed since its initial release, yet it is still the subject of plenty of discussion within the gaming community. There are 9 different versions of Skyrim now across various gaming and non-gaming platforms, but with The Elder Scrolls 6 in Bethesda’s plans going forward, it’s possible fans may have seen their final Skyrim release. The multiple versions of Skyrim stand as a testament to its success, but they may also signal a need for something different among the Skyrim fanbase.

With such a long gap between the release of Skyrim and the eventual release of The Elder Scrolls 6, fans may be seeking an alternative. The game should be different enough from Skyrim to feel fresh, but familiar enough to capture the experience that made Skyrim such a big hit with fans. Fortunately, it appears there are many video games out there that share some key characteristics with Skyrim, many of which have been compared with the open-world RPG. Fans may have a long time to wait for the release of The Elder Scrolls 6, but there are plenty of games that can tide them over until then.

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When Kingdom Come: Deliverance was released in 2018, it was the recipient of numerous comparisons with Skyrim. While the two games are quite different, it's easy to see where the comparisons come from. Kingdom Come: Deliverance's protagonist, Henry, starts the game as a blacksmith's son, immature and inexperienced. However, as the game progresses, Henry grows into the role of a savior, ultimately becoming a key figure in the civil war ravaging the lands of Bohemia. This isn't all too dissimilar to the Dragonborn's road to discovery, starting the game as a horse thief but eventually saving Skyrim from Alduin.

Skyrim's side quests and beautifully rendered landscape are rivaled by Kingdom Come: Deliverance. Within Kingdom Come: Deliverance, there exists the same sense of freedom that has enabled Skyrim to survive and stay relevant for the best part of a decade. The player isn't funneled into completing the main quest of Kingdom Come. Instead, they can approach the game at their own speed, completing side quests to earn coin or improving their skills in combat. The player is encouraged to experience the land of Bohemia at their own pace, resulting in a Skyrim-like experience.

There are a number of differences between Kingdom Come: Deliverance and Skyrim that fans may want to keep in mind before playing, though. For starters, the game is based on reality, a fact that may put off fans of Skyrim's fantastical world. The narrative of Kingdom Come: Deliverance is based on a true story, and the mythical creatures of Skyrim are nowhere to be found. Despite this, the settings don't feel all too different, so this may not put all Skyrim fans off. Another concern fans may have is the fact that Kingdom Come's Henry is a voiced protagonist. Unfortunately, if players like to impart some of their personality onto a game's main character, they may struggle here, as Henry's character arc is predetermined.

The similarities between The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Skyrim are fairly obvious. While the Witchers themselves are based on Slavic mythology, the fantasy world of The Witcher 3 will appeal to the same kind of crowd as Skyrim. The world map is expansive and filled with mythological creatures to kill. While the combat is a bit more complicated than in Skyrim, the experience of traveling around the world and encountering new enemy types remains intact. The Witcher 3's creatures and mythology mean that the game has an overlap with Skyrim, and in turn it may appeal to the same audience.

The feeling of freedom in The Witcher 3 is the closest thing to the freedom offered up by Skyrim's open world. It is this that makes The Witcher 3 such a good candidate to replace The Elder Scrolls 5. Traveling from town to town in The Witcher 3, there's a palpable sense of excitement when approaching a notice board. It's impossible to predict the quests and random encounters that await a player when they discover a new location, and this is a major part of the experience. The addictive and distracting side quests of The Witcher 3 bear a close resemblance to the side quests in Skyrim that blew players away at launch.

As is the case with Kingdom Come: Deliverance, The Witcher 3 has a voiced protagonist in Geralt of Rivia. The background of Geralt is predetermined, eliminating some aspects of role-playing from the game. The players have many options in their approach to the game, however, which allows them to decide much of Geralt's personality and leave their own impact on the quests he encounters. Despite the fact that Geralt is a voiced protagonist, the player still has a similar level of control over Geralt's actions to what can be found in Skyrim.

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Unlike The Witcher 3 or Kingdom Come Deliverance, Enderal: The Shard of order is a mod, but it functions as an entirely new game. Enderal comes from SureAI, publisher of Nehrim for The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion. SureAI has made a name for itself in The Elder Scrolls community by creating these expansive mods, and Enderal has done nothing to harm its reputation. Enderal: The Shards of Order's new setting, increased difficulty, and darker story make it enough of a departure to feel like a new experience, invoking feelings of playing Skyrim for the first time.

Enderal has a number of quality-of-life improvements over the base game of Skyrim, as well as some that leave it feeling a bit more grounded in reality. The player has to approach Enderal at a reasonable pace, ensuring they don't attempt to take on enemies too soon. While in Skyrim the player is thrown in at the deep end, having to battle their way out of Helgen, in Enderal, the player will initially struggle to even defeat a wolf in combat. These changes leave the game feeling like a breath of fresh air without changing the core experience of Skyrim too much. Almost everything that a Skyrim player may enjoy about The Elder Scrolls 5 is emulated in Enderal, making it the perfect replacement for Skyrim.

Skyrim is available now on PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

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